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Womanism

Womanism is a feminist term coined by Alice Walker. It is a reaction to the realization that “feminism” does not encompass the perspectives Black women. It is a feminism that is “stronger in color”, nearly identical to “Black Feminism”. However, Womanism does not need to be prefaced by the word “Black”, the word automatically concerns black women. A Womanist is a woman who loves women and appreciates women’s culture and power as something that is incorporated into the world as a whole. Womanism addresses the racist and classist aspects of white feminism and actively opposes separatist ideologies. It includes the word “man”, recognizing that Black men are an integral part of Black women’s lives as their children, lovers, and family members. Womanism accounts for the ways in which black women support and empower black men, and serves as a tool for understanding the Black woman’s relationship to men as different from the white woman’s. It seeks to acnowledge and praise the sexual power of Black women while recognizing a history of sexual violence. This perspective is often used as a means for analyzing Black Women’s literature, as it marks the place where race, class, gender, and sexuality intersect. Womanism is unique because it does not necessarily imply any political position or value system other than the honoring of Black women’s strength and experiences. Because it recognizes that women are survivors in a world that is oppressive on multiple platforms, it seeks to celebrate the ways in which women negotiate these oppressions in their individual lives.

75 Responses

so can a male be a “womanist?” i’ve long considered myself a “feminist” in that i support equality and social justice for women. i’ve only recently heard the term, womanist. i’m an african-american hetero-male and raging liberal/progressive/social just slacktivist.

i’m fine being an ally. this isn’t about me. i just want to know where i fit in regarding your particular struggle.

The rational is that while the middle classes white feminists were out demanding their rights they were not thinking about the rights of the “the help”, who cleaned their homes, cooked their meals, and raised their kids. When they were fighting for sexual liberation, they weren’t thinking about all brown women who were historically sexualized and eroticized.

And neither of them are paying attention to the needs of races that aren’t black or white. I’m really tickled to see an offshoot of Feminism specifically for black women, complaining about ‘separatist ideologies’. What about Native American and Pacific Islander women? Hispanic women? Asian women? Are we just going to have a bunch of different offshoots of Feminism or are we going to make Feminism adapt to the times and push it to encompass all women equally?

Ava, the word “black” is often used to mean politically black. Those who are othered for not being white. There was a time even the (aesthetically white)Irish were incorporated into political blackness as they were treated so poorly by their British and American white counterparts. There is no reason for “brown” women not to be included in the womanist movement, or indeed any politically black movement. While we celebrate our differences together, we also support one another in our shared alienation from white society. In the UK, during black history month we celebrate Diwali, Dia de los Muertos and many other food and music festivals which draw from Asian, African, Caribbean etc. etc. cultures!

[…] A Feminist Theory Dictionary talks more about this: It includes the word “man”, recognizing that Black men are an integral part of Black women’s lives as their children, lovers, and family members. Womanism accounts for the ways in which black women support and empower black men, and serves as a tool for understanding the Black woman’s relationship to men as different from the white woman’s. It seeks to acnowledge and praise the sexual power of Black women while recognizing a history of sexual violence. […]

[…] A Feminist Theory Dictionary talks more about this: It includes the word “man”, recognizing that Black men are an integral part of Black women’s lives as their children, lovers, and family members. Womanism accounts for the ways in which black women support and empower black men, and serves as a tool for understanding the Black woman’s relationship to men as different from the white woman’s. It seeks to acnowledge and praise the sexual power of Black women while recognizing a history of sexual violence. […]

[…] A Feminist Theory Dictionary talks more about this: It includes the word “man”, recognizing that Black men are an integral part of Black women’s lives as their children, lovers, and family members. Womanism accounts for the ways in which black women support and empower black men, and serves as a tool for understanding the Black woman’s relationship to men as different from the white woman’s. It seeks to acnowledge and praise the sexual power of Black women while recognizing a history of sexual violence. […]

[…] Renee wrote an excellent post responding to an emailer who wanted to know whether a white woman can call herself “womanist. I’ll pull a Renee here — here’s a quote to get you started; you’ll have to head over to her blog to read the rest: I understand why womanism seems attractive from the outside. It truly advocates for the equality of all beings however, it is a movement spawned by the rejection of WOC; more specifically black women by mainstream feminism. […]

If i were not taking a literature by women, class at college, regarding feminism and womanism I would have never known the difference. I had to look it up. I do support the idealism of womanism for black women.

Womanism is African feminism which believes in family centredness, community building, mothering and nurturing as well as community spirituality. It operates on binary complementarity of the sexes rather than on binary opposites. It believes in unity of the sexes as this is what community building and collaboration hinges on rather than on individuality of the sexes.

Womanism thrives on African culture which believes in mothering, nurturing and spirituality. It encourages humility which assists in self identity and promotes cultural awareness. It is indeed an African phenomenon which is rooted in African culture.

Womanism is African feminism which believes in family centredness, community building, mothering and nurturing as well as asserting spirituality. It operates on binary complementarity of the sexes rather than on binary opposites. It believes in unity of the sexes as this is what community building and collaboration hinges on rather than on individuality of the sexes.

Womanism thrives on African culture which believes in mothering, nurturing and spirituality. It encourages humility which assists in self identity and promotes cultural awareness. It is indeed an African phenomenon which is rooted in African culture.

Hello, Pray you’re well. I’m currently researching women in leadership in higher education through a womanist lens for my doctorate. I’m fascinated by your explanation of womanism. May I please quote you in my paper? And, could you please share WHERE your definition of womanism originates and if there’s a reference for me to access for further study? Thank you in advance. Peace and blessings.

[…] even more problematic because of how race and gender are configured on her body? What would womanists have to say about this one?6. Charlie Murphy! No, not really. But Lane’s father hitting him […]

[…] presented previously were overwhelmingly homogenous and exclusionary, women of color feminism, womanism and other more inclusive and worldly views of in/equality came to the forefront. Women of color who […]

[…] work in a way that does violence to her own context and central concerns: Williams is a womanist theologian, and the ongoing racist oppression of black women is central to her work. When Williams […]

Womanism is recreation of ideals rather than the creation of it! It believes in the binary fusion of the sexes wherein they are interdependent and complement each other. The focus is on family centredness wherein the worth of an individual could be attained within the society/community that produces it in establishing its identity. It has its root deeply enmeshed in African culture wherein the genders are seen as ‘binary order’ and not as ‘otherness’.

For a full detail of womanism and its tenets, see my PhD work entitled,’A Semiotic Appraisal of Womanist Ideology in Selected Plays of Zulu Sofola and Tess Onwueme’.

[…] she’s certainly one of the most famous. While others are coy about the word itself (sometimes with good reason), and others still quietly act feminist without identifying as such, Miley comes right out and […]

[…] safe spaces away from both racist and sexist oppression. In 1979, Alice Walker coined the term “Womanist”, giving us a name that embodied our goals for liberation without the painful baggage that […]

[…] their blogs, writings, and essays which would have eventually led me to research intersectionality, womanism, Islamic feminism, post-colonialism and introduced me to the plethora of other feminists who have […]

[…] conversations, criticisms and analyses that have contributed to the evolution of black feminism and womanism were discussed. I’ve been watching the talks over the past couple of days and should be done […]

[…] commenter clearly wanted to assert an affirming view of feminism, but in the process, she threw womanism (a concept she did not understand), under the bus. While we’re all struggling to learn the […]

Thank you! This is very insightful, and I am motivated to read Walker’s In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose for further understanding and research.

I have also read through the comments. It is clear that many are either not understanding the definition or are choosing to bypass the clarity of the definition. It states that “….A Womanist is a woman who loves women and appreciates women’s culture and power as something that is incorporated into the world as a whole. Therefore it doesn’t need to be prefaced by “black” [or any other race/ethnicity because it]… automatically concerns [black, brown, Asian, Native American, etc… women.

Ladies, read! Take a moment to truly understand the text and not be deafened by your own agenda.

I actually quite like the Womanist movement, and in many ways I prefer it to Feminism, but I feel that it would be rather disrespectful to call myself a Womanist- sort of arrogant in thinking I can understand the struggles of the minorities when I certainly have white privilege, and rather like cultural appropriation if not worse. Closest I can get, really, is saying that I like and respect the movement, even knowing that I cannot understand it well enough to be a completely legitimate member.

This is by far the most insightful comment I’ve ever seen by a privileged person. You not only acknowledge it but you also see that it puts you in a position where you cannot just hop on and say “I understand what you are going through”
Continue to grow in your truth. It is refreshing and necessary ❤

[…] movement, Black feminism focused on the intersection of sexism, racism, and class oppression. Womanism came from this movement, and is thought by many to better encompass the experiences and mindsets of […]

[…] face, I stand in solidarity with all others facing injustice. I am a fervent feminist and a womanist ally. I am an ally to my siblings in the LGBTQIA+ community. I stand for justice, and do my best […]

[…] create this blog for a few reasons, the first reason that comes to mind is the interest I took in Womanism when I enrolled at Columbia as a Freshman in 2011. Throughout high school I always identified as […]

[…] Womanism (x) – Womanism is a social theory based upon the lives and experiences of Black women, aiming to change the gender-based and race-based oppression they suffer. The term was first coined by Alice Walker in 1979. Womanism is, in some ways, a response to how the feminist movement has alienated minorities throughout its history – something that many of us want to change through intersectional feminism. Womanism has allowed Black women to celebrate their culture in a way that feminism, sadly, has not. […]

[…] a Lecturer at San Francisco State University. Because of her, I have learned that it’s OK to be a Womanist, that we should have conversations about things that make us uncomfortable, and to be more […]

[…] a Lecturer at San Francisco State University. Because of her, I have learned that it’s OK to be a Womanist, that we should have conversations about things that make us uncomfortable, and to be more […]